Natchez National Historical Park
Encyclopedia
Natchez National Historical Park commemorates the history of Natchez, Mississippi
, and is managed by the National Park Service
.
The park consists of three distinct parts. Fort Rosalie
is the site of a fortification from the 18th century, built by the French
, and later controlled by the United Kingdom
, Spain
, and the United States
. The William Johnson House is the home of William Johnson
, a free African American
barber and resident of Natchez whose diary has been published. Melrose
is the estate of John T. McMurran, a lawyer and state senator who was a planter in Natchez from 1830 until the Civil War
.
The fort is not open to the public. The other two units of the park include displays related to life in antebellum Natchez.
The collection at Melrose
's two-story Greek Revival
main house and its slave
quarters includes painted floor cloths, mahogany
punkah
, a set of Rococo
Revival parlor furniture, a set of Gothic Revival
dining room chairs, and bookcases with books dating to the 18th century. These were collected from Natchez families including the McMurran family. The collection in the Johnson house includes furnishings from his life and family. Archaeological objects found in the park are also on display.
was authorized on October 7, 1988 . The William Johnson House was added to it on September 28, 1990 . As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
, and is managed by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
.
The park consists of three distinct parts. Fort Rosalie
Fort Rosalie
Fort Rosalie was a French fort built in 1716 in the territory of the Natchez Native Americans. The present-day city of Natchez, Mississippi developed at this site. As part of the peace terms that ended the Natchez War of 1716, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville required the Natchez to...
is the site of a fortification from the 18th century, built by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and later controlled by the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The William Johnson House is the home of William Johnson
William Johnson (barber)
William T. Johnson was a free African American barber, who lived in Natchez, Mississippi.Johnson was born into slavery, but his slaveholder emancipated him in 1820. His mother Amy was freed in 1814 and his sister Adelia in 1818. He trained with his brother-in-law James Miller as a barber, and...
, a free African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
barber and resident of Natchez whose diary has been published. Melrose
Melrose (Natchez, Mississippi)
Melrose is a mansion that is said to reflect "perfection" in its Greek Revival design. The estate is now part of Natchez National Historical Park and is open to the public by guided tours. The house is furnished for the period just before the Civil War...
is the estate of John T. McMurran, a lawyer and state senator who was a planter in Natchez from 1830 until the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
The fort is not open to the public. The other two units of the park include displays related to life in antebellum Natchez.
The collection at Melrose
Melrose (Natchez, Mississippi)
Melrose is a mansion that is said to reflect "perfection" in its Greek Revival design. The estate is now part of Natchez National Historical Park and is open to the public by guided tours. The house is furnished for the period just before the Civil War...
's two-story Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
main house and its slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
quarters includes painted floor cloths, mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
punkah
Punkah
A punkah is a type of fan used in the early 500 B.C.. In its original sense the punkah was a portable fan made from the leaf of the palmyra....
, a set of Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
Revival parlor furniture, a set of Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
dining room chairs, and bookcases with books dating to the 18th century. These were collected from Natchez families including the McMurran family. The collection in the Johnson house includes furnishings from his life and family. Archaeological objects found in the park are also on display.
Legal history
The National Historical ParkNational Historical Park
National Historic Sites are protected areas of national historic significance in the United States. A National Historic Site usually contains a single historical feature directly associated with its subject...
was authorized on October 7, 1988 . The William Johnson House was added to it on September 28, 1990 . As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
External links
- Official NPS website: Natchez National Historical Park